The One
by ThePurpleRose
Summary: Kratos always knew Soleille wasn't the one. What he didn't know was who was. But when he looks at the petite figure nestled in his arms, he knows he's found her: The One. His Anna. A little bit of Kranna.


**AN: A Kranna one-shot for you all. Just randomly came to me one night. Also contains Soleille, mentioned in Tales of Fandom. Happy belated Valentine's Day, everyone! Can't say it's a favourite holiday of mine, but meh, enjoy the fluff!**

**And note that I find it very hard to write serious romance without the humour and sarcasm, so apologies if this is a little dry without those. At least I've tried the genre now - even if I am really bad at it... Humour and romance and romcom-esque stuff, good. The serious 'I love you' stuff, not so much... But I've tried. ^_^**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own ToS; I just own this mush that my brain came up with.**_

She danced her way through the tall grass towards him, basking in the sunlight and the freedom she so lacked. When she reached him, she daintily sat, her light travelling skirts fanning out around her, before resting her head on his shoulder to peek at the figurine he was whittling with his knife.

Apparently bored by this, she lay back beside him, pillowing her head with her hands and releasing a sigh. "Kratos?" she called.

"Hmm?" he responded without moving his attention from the figurine.

There was a slight pause before she piped up. "Marry me."

Both the figurine and the knife slipped through his fingers, falling to the ground with a dull thud. He could think of only one response to that; "What?"

She laughed. It was a wonderful, musical sound that usually had the effect of helping him to overcome his troubles and join in.

"I said, marry me," she repeated, using the exact tone she would use to tell him that she wanted to go outside or that she was going to wear red shoes today instead of the brown ones.

He stared as she watched him expectantly. Her eyes were ocean blue, the left one partially obscured by a wayward golden ringlet that had escaped from its binding in her carefree dance. His eyes moved from her hair to the white travelling cloak she wore over her powder-blue dress, hiding the curves and contours of her body. They moved back upwards, following the elegant lines of her long neck, which held her head, high and proud.

All in all, she was stunningly beautiful, as she always was. No less was expected from a princess like her. She was bred from strength, grace and beauty. She was a woman like no other he had ever met and he was sure that if he lived a thousand lives, he would never meet another like her.

"Why?" he wondered, a frown turning down the corners of his lips.

She lay back on the grass, having propped herself up primly on one elbow at his first request. "Why not? I would rather marry you than marry a noble or a lord. Most of the court already thinks we have romantic relationship. It is much easier to learn to love somebody when you actually like them to begin with. And you will be the next general anyway, even if you aren't a noble by birth."

"You don't know that, Sol," he corrected, "Nobody does. I doubt the general himself knows who will succeed him yet."

"Everyone knows it will be you that the general chooses. You're a hero, Kratos," she assured him, her lips stubbornly pursed as they always were when she knew she was right and wanted him to know it too. "And a knight. It is a highly respectable position; my father will certainly not be complaining if I was to suggest the possibility of marrying Captain Aurion."

"Very logical," he commented.

She smiled sadly. "Isn't it just? I guess, when it boils down to origins, marrying my best friend is preferable to marrying a perfect stranger who may turn out to be my worst enemy."

He reached out and softly stroked her cheek, gently guiding her face closer to his. A garnet gaze stared into sparkling sapphire. Then he pulled her into his arms, resting his cheek on her head. He inhaled her exotic, flowery scent, pausing for a moment before murmuring into her golden hair.

"I can't do that to you, Soleille," he near-whispered. "I do love you, but not like that, and it wouldn't be fair to you. I'm a soldier, Sol. We live. We fight. We die, and we don't die as old men. I couldn't do that to you."

A silence pressed heavily upon them, Kratos squeezing the princess slightly, not knowing what else to say. She locked her arms around his waist and returned the gesture, Kratos rubbing gently at her back with one large, calloused hand.

After a short while, she lifted her head to gaze up into him. A small, sad smile decorated her heart-shaped face as she brought her hands around his back to press lightly against his chest, pushing herself up to his level.

"She must something special," she said, quietly, the smile reaching up to her twinkle in her eyes.

Confusion dominated Kratos' features. "Hmm? Who?" he responded, a frown tugging down the corners of his lips.

She laughed but it wasn't the usual musical one, it was softer, more delicate, more refined. It was a serious laugh, a sincere one, a wish for the future. She winked, raising her pointing finger as if admonishing him and tapping at his nose with it.

"Your wife," she replied. "And don't frown; you'll scare her off. It's unbecoming."

"Only on a woman," he argued, extricating her other hand from the material of his shirt and dodging the hand that was poised to attempt the act of taming his hair. "And I don't have a wife, Sol. Nor will I have one."

"You will," she stated, almost knowingly, leaping to her feet. "You'll find 'the one' soon enough, the woman that you are really supposed to spend your life with. We both know she's not me."

"If I turned you down, I'm hardly going to accept the next woman who fancies her chances at becoming my wife," he protested, getting to his knees. "There is a war on. It would be unfair and selfish of me to marry a woman, only to be forced to leave her prematurely – even if it was love."

"If you had ever experienced love, Kratos, you would no longer believe that," she said sagely. "There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to love. Not to love would be the greatest sacrifice."

"And you really believe that?" was his reaction.

She laughed, a real laugh this time, one of her carefree ones that he found himself joining in with. Her hand was extended towards him and he took it, her perfectly soft, smooth skin feeling only natural against his as she tugged him into the trees, chatting about the creek she had heard about and wanted to visit, and what she really thought about Viscount Paradez.

She wasn't his 'one'. He knew that. She'd said it herself; they both knew. He knew it was complete rubbish though and she didn't, but if it helped her to live with her situation, then it wouldn't be right of him to dispute that. Besides, Soleille was stubborn. That's what he liked the most about his only female friend. She wasn't right, but who was he to judge?

Even she was right, even if there was a 'one' out there for everyone, there wouldn't be a 'one' for him, and he'd turn her down even if there was. Because he was a soldier and he knew how those relationships usually ended. He was the exception to the rule. He would never find 'the one', Kratos knew this. He knew that she simply wasn't out there.

But looking down at the sleeping woman in his arms, Kratos knows now that he was wrong because he found her. She's not out there anymore, she's right here. And she isn't Soleille.

She doesn't smell of exotic flowers; she smells of soap, freshly mown grass and a scent he hasn't found on any other person, one that's hers and hers alone. Her skin isn't pale and smooth; she has tan lines from her favourite jacket – that was originally his – and her hands get dry when they travel through the forest into the night and take a couple of days to return to normal. Her hair isn't flawlessly styled and it doesn't shine golden under the light. She has a wild, forest brown mane that is always untamed and whips around her face when they walk. She isn't elegant or refined and when she laughs, she occasionally snorts and her rich, brown eyes widen comically.

And he loves her for it. He always will.

He looks down at the petite figure still nestled in his encircling arms. A smile tugs at the corners of his lips and he gives in to the impulse and follows the urge, a dazzling smile just for her. For his 'One'. For his Anna.

Her eyes open then. One cracks open first, groggy and clouded with sleep, the other following suit. She awards him a sleepy, lopsided smile of her own. Then she clears her throat, snuggles closer into his warmth, and wonders, "What are you so happy about this morning?"

"Do I need a reason?" he enquires, his smile narrowing into a teasing smirk, though his eyes remain soft and loving.

She scoffs, "No, but you need one to smile like that, Mr Tough-Guy Mercenary."

He chuckles at that, one hand trailing up her back to find sanctuary stroking her hair. Nothing is said for a moment, both content just to be with each other in a way that neither has experienced before but both wish to experience again.

Finally, Kratos plants a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin, not wanting to pull back. As they reluctantly do, she shifts closer, wrapping her arms around the roughened, muscular form of her mercenary, her angel, who he murmured into her rich, chocolate locks, "You're my reason. I don't need anything more."

And he doesn't, but he isn't aware that soon enough, he'll be getting it. For now, he's just content to lay there with the one he loves and forget the past and not worry about the future, because no matter what the future brings for him, as long as he has Anna, as long as she's in it, it will make up the best days of his life, and he could never ask for anything more.

**AN: Okay, I really, seriously need feedback on this. I do not do romance well on its own, only with another genre. I'm much too sarcastic and I have to go back and edit the sarcastic bits out.**

**So yeah, I know this isn't very good, but any help improving it is really, really appreciated. Thanks guys.**

**I also don't like the way Anna came out. I'm happy with Soleille, but Anna did not end up how I picture at all... Ah well. I hope you enjoyed the fluff. Thanks for reading!**

**And please review!**

**~ThePurpleRose**


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